Low water blues

Following nearly three decades of higher than historic average water levels throughout the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence (GLSL) basin, water levels fell dramatically across the region in 1997-8. During the period between 1997-8 and 2012-3, for example, water levels in Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron were substantially below historic averages. In January 2013, Lake Michigan-Huron reached its lowest levels since the United States and Canada began coordinated measuring and tracking of water levels in 1918.